


Evangelina

by ArchangelUnmei



Category: Slayers (anime)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-02
Updated: 2010-09-02
Packaged: 2017-10-11 10:04:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/111205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchangelUnmei/pseuds/ArchangelUnmei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On a trip back to Zoana, Lina and Gourry are in for a little surprise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Evangelina

**Author's Note:**

> Slight spoilers for the end of Slayers NEXT.

They avoided going back to Zoana for as long as possible.

Unfortunately, the bandits started to notice this, and began a concentrated effort to move their hide outs to Zoana, where they perceived that they would be safe from the dreaded Lina Inverse. Of course, the queen of Zoana didn't take kindly to this, but the bandits kept coming anyway.

So one late spring morning, Lina and Gourry found themselves wandering the streets of Zoana's capital city, looking for a likely place to stop for lunch.

"It looks like they've managed to rebuild pretty well," Gourry commented, smiling and waving at a shopkeeper they passed. Lina eyed him, trying to decide if that was a genuine comment or if he was making a dig at her.

"I guess so," she conceded after a moment. "Everyone looks pretty happy, at least. Who would have thought?"

Gourry pondered that. "Maybe being Dragon Slaved off the map is a good thing," he decided. "Every place you destroy seems to bounce back pretty quickly."

Lina opened her mouth, ready to deliver a scathing retort and a slipper to the head, when someone spoke up from behind them.

"Um, excuse me..."

They turned, and found themselves looking down at a little girl with dark hair pulled back into a long ponytail and a shy smile. She was dressed much the same as the other city children, in sturdy boots and a serviceable dress that reached to her knees, not nice enough that it would be a disaster if it got dirty. She stared at them both for a minute, starting to give Lina a bit of a creepy feeling before she grinned. "You're travelers, aren't you? From outside Zoana!"

Gourry recovered before Lina did and smiled, crouching down to the little girl's level. "Yes, we are. We travel all over the place. What's your name?"

The girl giggled, turning pink under Gourry's warm smile. Lina firmly stamped down a twinge of jealousy. "My name is Evangelina, but everyone calls me Eva."

"Evangelina. That's a pretty name." Gourry grinned. "But you know, if your parents hadn't decided to call you Eva, you could have had the same nickname as-"

He got cut off as Lina's fist met the top of his head, sending him slamming into the dusty ground. Lina offered Eva a wide if twitchy smile. "The same nickname as Lina Inverse, he means. I'm sure you've heard of her around here, haven't you?"

"Oh yes!" Eva's expression brightened, apparently unconcerned with Lina beating her companion into the ground. "Mama says that Lina Inverse is Zoana's Greatest Enemy, and the city must be defended from her at all costs!"

Lina's eye twitched. "Does she now?"

Eva nodded, eyes shining, lacking the tact that most adults save Gourry had. "Mama says that she's eight feet tall, and looks like she has a man's body, but you'll know it's Lina Inverse because of the evil expression on her face! She's the one who plunged Zoana into darkness and despair the year before I was born. I've lived my whole life hearing about Lina Inverse!"

"A man's... body..." Lina twitched again, and Gourry debated the merits of grabbing Eva and attempting to flee for safety. In the end, he decided simple distraction might be the better course of action.

"Eva," he called the girl's attention to him, breaking her tirade against the evils of Lina Inverse. It was beginning to remind him a bit disturbingly of Amelia. "We just arrived in the city and were hoping to find some lunch. Do you know any good places to eat?"

"Oh sure!" Eva's face brightened again, and she grabbed Gourry's hand to tug him along. "There's a place that serves great hot pot, right this way!"

Lina simmered behind them, until Gourry half-turned to offer her an apologetic smile. Lina quickly ducked her head to hide her sudden blush, and couldn't help noticing how good Gourry was with children.

Damn biological clock.

~*~

The restaurant Eva led them to was a small place on a side street, but it did have very good hot pot. Gourry insisted on paying for Eva's share along with theirs. Lina grumbled, not really because they were lacking in money but more because she'd sworn Eva ate nearly as much as she and Gourry had. Still griping quietly to herself, Lina pulled enough Seiruun coin out of her purse to pay for the meal.

"That's not money from Zoana," Eva's eyes widened as she leaned closer to peer at the gold and silver coins. Lina rolled her eyes, selecting one of the smaller amounts and offering it to her.

"Gourry told you, we travel all over the place. This money is from Seiruun."

"Wow..." Eva breathed, taking the coin Lina offered her. "I've never been outside of Zoana before."

"Maybe when you grow up you can go on adventures like us," Gourry smiled at her. As they stood to leave, Eva skipping ahead happily, Gourry put his arm around Lina's shoulders. "You just gave away money," he murmured, voice tinged in something like awe.

Lina's face flamed as red as her hair. "Shut up, okay?! She just looked so pitiful, eyeballing foreign coin like that!"

Gourry just grinned and kept his mouth shut.

For the rest of the afternoon, Eva dragged them around the city, showing them the sights. Every shopkeeper seemed to know her, and had a kind word or an indulgent smile for her.

"You're not a pickpocket, are you?" Lina asked her, eying the girl as she slurped an ice cream cone that Gourry had bought her (Lina was only appeased because Gourry had bought her _two_).

Eva looked startled, staring up at Lina with wide eyes. "No ma'am! I'd never steal from people who were less fortunate then me! That's for bandits and Lina Inverse!"

Lina twitched again, then offered a sly smile. "You know, Eva, there's a lot of bandits in Zoana right now. I heard a rumor that Lina Inverse might be coming to help clear them out."

The little girl stuck out her lower lip, pouting in an expression momentarily so familiar that Lina wondered where she'd seen it before. But Eva's next words chased the thought away. "We don't need her! My Papa's been helping fight the bandits, and he's the strongest swordsman in the whole of Zoana! We don't need any stupid sorceress!"

Lina started to open her mouth, but Gourry put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head slightly. Lina huffed and rolled her eyes, but held her tongue. If that's what the girl wanted to believe, let her believe it.

~*~

As the sun started to set and people began to come out to light the street lamps, Gourry looked down at Eva. "Shouldn't you be going home soon? I wouldn't want your parents to be worried about you."

"Yeah..." Eva's face brightened. "You should come to dinner at my house! Mama and Papa used to travel a lot when they were younger, they'd love to hear stories about your adventures!"

"Eh heh..." Lina sweatdropped, already having long since determined that she was going to do her damned best to keep her identity a secret while she was in Zoana. "Well, I guess it won't hurt to escort you home."

Eva grabbed their hands, tugging them along and chattering about nothing in particular. Lina's mind was focused on her own thoughts, so she didn't notice where they were going until Eva turned a corner and started pulling them straight toward the Zoana Royal Castle and Zoamulguster Temple. With a squawk, she dug in her heels, dragging all three of them back around the corner and out of sight. Gourry just sweatdropped, but Eva gave her a puzzled look, clearly about to ask what was wrong when she was interrupted by someone calling from the castle's front gate.

"Eva! Eva, time to come home!"

Eva's face lit up, and she grabbed Lina's hand again. "That's Papa! Come on, he'll love to meet you!"

Lina laughed a little, gently tugging her hand out of the girl's grip. "No no, that's okay. Gourry and I really should get going, anyway. You go have a nice supper with your parents, alright?"

"Well, okay," Eva looked up at the two of them. "Will you come visit again?"

"Yes," Gourry said, at the same time Lina answered "No!" They exchanged looks, Gourry's rather pointed. "Fine, maybe," Lina settled, awkwardly patting Eva on the head. "Now hurry up and run home before he comes looking for you!"

Eva grinned brightly, and impulsively hugged Lina around the waist before darting around the corner and toward the castle. Lina and Gourry peered around the corner, careful to stay out of sight. Zangulus turned at his daughter's calls, worried expression melting into one of relief as he caught her and lifted her into his arms. Eva hugged him around the neck, already babbling about her day as Zangulus turned to carry her back inside.

He paused, then, eying the corner where Lina and Gourry were crouched, and Lina could have sworn she saw one corner of his mouth lift in a slight grin. But he didn't say anything, didn't call out to them, just carried Eva back inside the castle and closed the gate firmly behind them.

"...Come on," Lina said after a minute, easing back from the corner and grabbing Gourry's arm. "I want to be out of here way before Martina catches any hint that I was around."

Gourry just nodded and turned to follow her.

They were most of the way out of the city before Lina spoke again, hands tucked carelessly behind her head. "Maaaan, I can't believe they went and had a kid!"

Gourry blinked out of his own thoughts and looked down at her. "You didn't realize she was Martina and Zangulus's daughter?"

Lina huffed, reaching over to hit him on the shoulder. "Don't tell me you did, jellyfish! I mean, okay, in hindsight she does look a little like Martina, but there's plenty of people in this part of the world that have green hair, so it didn't occur to me that they were family!"

Gourry grinned a bit, watching her face closely. "Actually, I realized it as soon as she said her name. They did name her after you, you know. Evange_LINA_."

Lina's face turned bright red, and Gourry couldn't help but laugh. Lina chased him the rest of the way out of the city.


End file.
